Walter hamilton



Mode w. HAMILTON.

APPARATUS FOR AMALGAMATING GOLD AND SILVER GEES.

- Patented July 4, 1882.

ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS, Pmwunw n pun wmin mfi. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

WALTER HAMILTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR AMALGAMATING GOLD AND SlLVE R 'ORES,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 260,390, dated July 4, 1882,

Application filed April 8, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER HAMILTON,

of the city, county, and State of New York,

have invented a new and Improved Apparatus for Amalgamatin g Gold, Silver, or other Substances, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of my improvement. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the same, taken through the line mm, Fig. 1.

The object of this invention is to facilitate the amalgamatin g of gold, silver, antimony, and other substances.

The invention consists in combiningan oresupply chute, a perpendicular rising and falling pipe, and an amalgamating-basin, as hereinafter described and claimed.

A represents a basin of such a capacity as to contain ten tons, more or less, of lead, mercury, or other amalgamating metal, composition of metals, or substance. The basin Ais placed over the fire-chamber B of a furnace, C.

D is a vertical pipe of suitable length, the lower end of which extends down into the basin A, nearly to its bottom. The ore or other material from which gold, silver, antimony, or other substance is to he amalgamated is introduced into the pipe D through a chute, E. The ore is discharged into the chute E from an elevator, F, or by other suitable means. The upper part of the pipe D passes through a fire-chamber, G, so that the ore will be properly heated as it passes down through the said pipe D. The ore is forced down through the pipe D by its'own weight, and is forced out of the lower end of the pipe D into the lower part of the basin A, so that it will rise through the amalgamating substance in the said basin.

Upon the bottom of the basin A is formed, or to it is attached, a cone, S, with its apex in the axis of the pipe D to receive the ore as it escapes from the said pipe D, and separate or spread the said ore and cause it to enter and rise through the amalgamating substance in equal quantities upon the diiferent sides of the said pipe D. The ore is distributed as it rises by a series of zigzag ring-plates, H, se cured in the basin A, so that all parts of the ore will be brought into contact with-the amalgamatin g substance. The refuse ore is removed from the top of the basin A by radial arms I, attached at their inner ends to a wormwheel, J, through the hub of which the pipe D passes, and which is swiveled to a guidebar, K, attached to the furnace (l, to serve as a guide to the said pipe D. The worm-wheel J is driven by a worm, L, the shaft M of which passes out through the wall of the furnace (l, and is rotated from the power that drives theelevator F.

To the pipe D is attached a collar, N, which rests upon a cam, 0, attached to the shaft P.

The shaft P passes out through the walls'of 6 the furnace (J, and is rotated from the power that drives the elevator F. With this construction, when the shaft P is rotated the cam .0 will raise the pipe D and allow it to drop,

comes saturated, or nearly so, it is drawn off through a discharge-pipe, R. With this construction, as soon as a sufficient quantity of the material to be treated is introduced into the pipe D, the said material will be forced out of the lower end of the said pipe into the lower part of the mass of the amalgamating substance by the weight of the material in the upper part of the said pipe.

By this method of amalgamatin g the wed ging and sticking of the material in the pipe D is avoided, as the material is forced out steadily and gradually by the weight of the superincumbent material.

The combination, with the basin, of a receptacle underthe fire-chamber, and connected bined with mechanism forlifting and allowing and the ainalgamatiug-basin A, of an interthem to fall, for the purpose of breaking and mediate perpendicular pipe, 1), fitting over a oomminuting the ore, are old; also, that in dry downwardly-projecting portion of said chute, amalgamators a hollow feed-shaft has been extending through guides toward the bottom I 5 5 jarred by a lateral blow dealt by a hammer at ofthe basin, and means for raising and letting certain intervals of time to facilitate the pasit drop, as described.

sage of the quartzbut What I claim as new and of my invention WALTER HAMILTON is Witnesses: IO In an amalgamator for gold and silver ores, JAMES T. GRAHAM,

the combination, with the ore-supply chute E O. SEDGWICK. 

